In the Air
by MrsTateLangdon
Summary: "Jace Wayland, pilot and aviator, at your service, miss." Jace/Clary *All Human*
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This is just an idea I had. I have an outline for the story and while it will be fluffy, there will be some twists and turns to throw it off.  
**

**Let me know if I should continue and why/why not. I really like hearing what you have to say.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**I don't own the characters... :(**

* * *

"Hello everyone! We will be taking off momentarily. Thank you all for being so patient."

Clary watched as her trainer, Maia, spoke over the intercom to the passengers. The flight had been delayed and now the pilot was late. He always double checked everything he needed to so the delay was even longer and the passengers were very irritated. However, Maia was doing a fantastic job at keeping everything under control.

"You see, Clary. When there's a situation like this, you need to be as nice as possible without sounding fake. Even if you don't care about these people, you need to show them that you're not being fake to them. Flight attendants are always fake and super happy. If you show the passengers that you actually care about how uncomfortable and irritated they are, they won't retaliate as much."

Clary nodded.

"You're not the talkative type, huh?" Maia asked.

She shrugged. "I'm just trying to absorb all of your knowledge. You really seem like you know what you're doing."

"I've been an attendant since I was 20 so yeah, I have some experience and some tricks up my sleeve." Maia smirked. "How about you go into the cockpit and ask the pilot if he's ready."

Clary nodded. "Okay."

She stood up from the seat she was sitting in, pulling her tight pencil skirt down as she walked toward the cockpit. She pushed open the door a little and slipped inside. A man with dark hair was sitting in the copilot's seat. He was studying some charts that Clary didn't understand. She smoothed out her skirt and found her voice.

"Hello. I'm supposed to see if we're almost ready for takeoff." The man looked up from the charts. He stared at Clary, confused, with his icy blue eyes. Then his eyes looked past her and he nodded. Before Clary could turn to see what he was looking at a hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked at it, then moved her gaze up the arm it was attached to and finally to its owner.

He was a fit young man, looking about in his mid-twenties. Messy blonde hair fell into golden eyes and hung around his face creating a sort of halo of gold. He was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. Clary caught herself staring and looked away but not quickly enough because the man cleared his throat with a knowing smirk. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"You wanted to talk to the pilot?" he asked, taking a step toward her.

Stepping back, she replied, "Yes, but he's not here at the moment. I'll come back when he is."

The man chuckled. "I'm underestimated again, Alec," he said to the man-Alec, apparently-in the copilot seat, nudging him.

"I'm sorry, but I must get back," Clary said. She went to leave but the man with golden eyes stepped in front of the small door, smirking.

"You said you wanted to talk to the pilot?"

Clary sighed. "Yes, but-"

"Talk then."

Confused, Clary asked, "What?"

"You want to speak with the pilot, so talk." He crossed his arms over his chest.

A sudden realization coming over her, Clary stumbled to form a sentence with her embarrassment. She opened and closed her mouth several times before she managed, "Sorry."

The man laughed and held out his hand. "Jace Wayland, pilot and aviator, at your service, miss."

Clary was still stunned and just stared at his outstretched hand. "Go on," Alec, the man seated, said. "Shake his hand. We need to get going." There was annoyance very clear in his voice.

Jace rolled his eyes and started to lower his hand. Feeling rude, Clary caught his hand and shook it quickly before releasing it. Jace furrowed his brow and looked at her with confusion, amusement, and something she couldn't quite figure out.

"So," she said, "Are we almost ready for takeoff?"

Jace slipped past her and slid into the pilot seat, putting on a headset. "Yup," he said, smiling and giving her a thumbs up.

She smiled back at him and nodded. "Okay, thank you." She turned and went to the door. When she pushed it open, Jace called to her.

"Wait, miss." She turned. "What's your name?"

She hesitated, then, "Clary."

He nodded, smiling. "Lovely name, Clary. You can tell the passengers that we will be taking off in a very short time." He turned back, facing front in his seat. Clary left the cockpit and went to where Maia was.

"The pilot is ready. We'll be taking off very soon."

Maia nodded and relayed the message to the passengers.

* * *

After they landed and everything was unloaded, Maia and Clary stood in the flight attendant station.

"How was your first flight as a flight attendant?" Maia asked.

Clary shrugged. "It was okay. There were some pretty annoying passengers thought."

"Yeah, you have those on every flight. You just have to learn how to deal with them."

Just then, Jace and Alec emerged from the cockpit, talking and laughing. Maia was staring at Jace.

"Is that the pilot?" she whispered to Clary, who nodded. "He's so attractive."

Clary blushed, saying, "Well, I've seen better."

Maia looked at her with a look of shock. Then they both laughed.

"What are you two alluring young women laughing about?" Jace asked, shooting them a smirk as he approached them. Alec stood behind him, looking annoyed.

Maia blushed and stammered, lying, "N-n-nothing. J-just a silly joke."

"A joke? I like jokes. Can I hear it?"

"Um..." Maia bit her lip. "Well, we actually-"

Clary cut in with an impromptu attempt to cover for Maia. "What's the difference between a duck and a copilot?" Everyone was looking at her so she continued, grinning. "A duck can fly."

It took a few seconds, but then a grin spread across Jace's handsome face. He let out a laugh, throwing his head back slightly. "That's good, Clary. I'll give you that much." He winked at her and she felt her cheeks go pink.

Alec glared at her. If looks could kill, she'd be good as dead. Apparently he hadn't found her copilot joke humorous.

"Well, I'll see you two ladies on the next flight I assume?" Jace asked.

Maia nodded frantically. Jace smiled and, looking at Clary, winked again. Alec grabbed Jace's arm.

"C'mon, we have to go," he said impatiently, still glaring at Clary.

Jace rolled his eyes. "I know, Alec." To Clary and Maia-mostly Clary, "I'll see you later."

He turned around and joined Alec, who was already walking toward the exit. After they were off the plane Maia turned to Clary.

"Wow. Just wow. He is smokin'. I don't know how he's a pilot, he might catch the plane on fire with those looks."

Clary laughed, knowing it was true. Jace was very handsome, she couldn't lie. He also had a vibe about him that made Clary feel like he was just an overall sweet person. She also knew that he liked a good laugh.

"I think he's a great pilot. The flight as a whole was pretty smooth."

Maia nodded. Looking at Clary with an over-exaggerated faked smile she said, "Well, we better get ready for round two. This flight is to New York."

* * *

Clary collapsed onto her hotel room bed. Her and Maia were staying in New York that night. They had just got back from their last flight and were exhausted.

Clary found out that the airline that now employed her did this thing called Grouping. That meant that there was a group that consisted of a pilot, a copilot, a flight engineer, and at least two flight attendants that did every flight together. For her training, and then ultimately the rest of her career, Clary was assigned in the group that she was with today: Jace being the pilot, Alec the copilot, a man named Jordan as the flight engineer, and the two flight attendants, Maia and herself.

"I'm pooped," Maia said, stepping out of the bathroom. They were staying in the same room to avoid unnecessary costs.

Agreeing, Clary nodded and asked, "Are most days like this?"

Now it was Maia's turn to nod. "Yes, unfortunately." She walked over the the other bed and flopped down. She let out a groan. "I'm going to sleep."

Clary didn't answer, she got up and went to the bathroom instead. When she returned, Maia was fast asleep. She laid down on her own bed and fell into her own dream-filled sleep.

* * *

They had one flight today-technically two, but Clary liked the sound of one better so that's what she told herself. It was from New York to L.A. and then back. She wasn't looking forward to it. She didn't really want to work as a flight attendant but she had applied and they gave her an interview, so she took it. She needed to make money for her mother, who had terminal cancer. Her step-father, Luke, lost his job because he stayed by her mother's side so Clary decided to pick up another job that would pay better.

"You ready for these flights, miss?" a familiar voice asked.

Clary turned to see the pilot, Jace, leaning against the wall with coffee in his left hand, smirking. "I suppose. Are you?"

Jace scoffed. "I've done this flight hundreds of times, don't worry about me."

"Hundreds?"

He nodded, taking a sip from his cup.

"But how? You're only, what-24? How are you even a pilot?"

He raised an eyebrow and nodded, considering her questions. "I'll answer your questions in order," he said, pushing himself from the wall so he was standing firmly. "How have I done this flight hundreds of times? I was assigned it multiple times. No, I'm not 24, I'm 23. And I am a pilot because that's what I've wanted to be since I was three. My dad took me on his Piper aircraft and I decided I loved it."

Jace smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. Clary wondered why that was but she wasn't going to ask. Instead she said, "So you're 23? That's young-at least I think it is-to be a pilot."

He nodded and took a step toward her. "It's sort of young, I guess. I've been flying since I was twelve."

Clary was impressed. It must have showed on her face because Jace laughed. It was a beautiful, sweet laugh that rang out like a melody. She fell in love with it. She wanted to hear him laugh all the time. She smiled at him. His laughter died out and he looked away. Then he locked eyes with her, almost searching hers for something.

"Clary!" Maia called. "Can you come and help with the passengers?"

Without breaking eye contact with Jace, she answered, "Yes, I'll be right there!"

Jace looked disappointed for a moment before his expression changed to playful. "I'll see you later then, Miss Clary." He winked at her before slipping through the door.

Clary sighed and made her way to Maia so she could actually do her job instead of ogling at the pilot.

* * *

**So how was it? Did you like it? Not like it? Let me know. Review/follow/favorite:)**

**I'll post another chapter when i get some feedback on whether or not i should...**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello!**

**Thank you for all of the wonderful feedback! A big hug to everyone who reviewed/followed/faved! You all are awesome! :) thanks!**

**Sort of a filler chapter for what I want to have happen next...stuff happens just not really suupppeerr important...well, kinda. anyways, there's a tiny bit of Clace. Don't worry, more to come:)**

**Here's Chapter Two! Let me know what you think about it!**

**Happy reading! ...no pressure:)**

**I don't own the characters...aw man...**

* * *

There was a eight month along pregnant woman on the flight. She was told not to travel because she could have the baby at any moment but she had to see her mother, who was dying. Clary completely understood the woman's situation-even though she'd never been pregnant-and tried to be as helpful to her as possible. She also snooped around to find if there was a doctor on the flight, which, thankfully, there was.

Clary was in the flight attendant station when a face with a halo of gold around it popped in. "Bonjour, mademoiselle."

She felt her cheeks go pink. "Hello, Jace."

He smiled. "You up for today?"

"Do I have a choice?"

He laughed lightly. "I'll see you later," he said before he winked and disappeared.

"Damn," Maia said from behind Clary, who jumped, scared, and turned around.

"Geez, Maia! You scared me!"

"You're hitting it off with the pilot," she said, oblivious to the fact that Clary was shaking from being startled.

"No-"

"Yes." Maia smiled.

Clary flushed. "So what if I am?"

"Then you are a lucky girl and I wish I was you."

They both laughed.

"C'mon," Maia said. "We need to actually do our job."

They went and helped the passengers with everything and answered all of their questions. They went over all of the safety information they had to tell them and then told them that they'd be ready for takeoff soon enough. There was a girl, about twenty, on the flight who was terrified. She was traveling alone because she was going to see her father. It was her first time riding on a plane and she wasn't liking it very much. Clary went up to the girl, in attempt to soothe her some.

"Hi," she said, kneeling in front of the girl. "What's your name?"

The girl stared at her with wide, terrified eyes. She was shaking and was extremely pale. She shook her head slightly.

Clary nodded. "Okay, sweetheart. I just wanted to tell you," she explained, "that I know the pilot and he's probably the safest and best out there. He really knows his stuff and he's done this flight plenty of times. There really isn't anything to worry about. I promise."

Clary was trying to sound heartfelt and truthful. That's what she actually was but she figured that the girl might not believe her so she tried extra hard for those things to come across in her voice.

The girl's eyes closed. When they opened again, they weren't as wide as they'd been. She was still shaking but Clary could tell that her words had calmed her some.

"You promise?" the girl asked in a small voice.

Clary smiled and took the girl's hand. "On my life."

The girl smiled a little and Clary stood up, letting go of her hand. "I have to go, but I will keep in touch with you during the whole flight, okay?"

The girl nodded and Clary returned to the flight attendant station. Maia was already there, busy.

"How 'bout you check on lover boy? See if he's ready to go," she said over her shoulder.

Clary blushed. "Okay, I'll check but I want to get a few things straight. One: We're not lovers. We met yesterday. Two: There probably won't be anything between us anyways."

Maia dropped what she was doing, literally. She turned around sharply. "Nothing? Ever?"

Clary raised her eyebrows. "No? I mean..."

"C'mon, girl. He's totally into you."

Clary squirmed a little and shifted uncomfortably.

Maia gave her a look of 'girl, you better get on that' and left the station, leaving Clary to go to the cockpit.

She opened the door and slipped in quietly. She took a step forward and tripped over something, letting out a small cry as she tumbled to the floor. Alec looked up from the charts on his clipboard and turned around as Clary quickly picked herself up and straightened her clothes. He rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the papers he held. Jace gave Alec a strange look and then turned to where Clary was standing, his expression changing to surprise.

"Ah! Clary, how are you?"

She flattened her skirt, not looking him in the eyes, saying, "I'm fine, thank you." He smiled at her. "I just want to know if you are ready."

Jace looked at Alec, who was scowling, and shrugged.

Clary sighed. "So, yes?"

He smirked. "I'm ready. Copilot over here-" he pointed a thumb at Alec "-isn't so sure of that-"  
Alec interjected, "I just think we should have this pipe checked again. I don't feel like having to land somewhere between here and L.A because of it."

Jace rolled his eyes and let out a long breath. "Alec, for the millionth time: We are going to be fine," he said, articulating the last six words.

Alec huffed and turned back to the charts. Jace turned to Clary.

"So, miss, you wanted to know if the _pilot_-" he shot a look at Alec "-was ready? Yes. _I'm _ready." He smirked.

Clary nodded and hurried out. She didn't want to be in between Jace and Alec since they weren't exactly getting along.

After waiting their turn, they were in the air and on their way to L.A. As soon as they were able to start serving drinks and snacks, Clary went to the girl that was scared. She looked a little calmer, but not by much.

"Are you doing better, sweetie?"

The girl glanced at her and nodded.

"Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

She shook her head. She pulled out a book out of her bag and looked up at Clary.

"I like to read too," she told the girl. "I'll leave you alone." She offered a smile that was half returned and got her cart to take up and down the aisles.

"Oi, woman!" a male voice behind her called.

"I'll get to you-" She turned around. "Simon!" Clary exclaimed as she threw herself onto her best friend. She hugged him tight as if he was life itself. "I've missed you so much!" she whispered into his ear.

He pulled away just enough so he could look at her. He said, "I've missed you too, Clary." He smiled big at her and kissed her cheek. Pulling her into another embrace, he said, "We definitely shouldn't stay this far away from each other for this long again."

She nodded and pushed him away slightly. "How about we talk more after we land? I should probably do my job."

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah, definitely. I'll just go back to my seat." He let go over her and made his way back.

Clary went back to her cart and continued serving the passengers, trying not to notice the dirty looks she was getting from seeing Simon. When it was her 'break,' she went back to the attendant station. She collapsed onto a chair, head falling into her hands-she had a headache. She was planning on sitting there until her ten minute break was up but someone else decided otherwise.

"Hey there."

Clary sighed, wanting to be annoyed with him but not able to bring herself to it. She popped open her eyes to see Jace a few feet away from her, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, looking at her.

"Hi."

"How are the passengers? As annoying as usual?" He let out a small, somewhat nervous laugh.

Clary nodded. "Pretty much." She continued rubbing her temples.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, eyeing her movements.

"I just have a headache," she muttered.

He frowned. "Do you want some medication? I think I have some headache stuff," he offered.

"Nah, I'm good. I have headaches all the time. They eventually just turn into a dull ache. I'll be fine." She gave him a weak smile.

He didn't look convinced but dropped the subject none the less. "So, do you have any plans for the small two hour break we have once we get to L.A. before we have to leave again?" he asked.

She was confused a moment before answering, "Kind of."

He frowned again. "What do you mean?"

"Well," she explained, "My best friend is on the flight. I just saw him and we decided to meet up after we landed."

"_Him?_" Jace asked, almost spitting the word.

Really? That's what gets out of that? That her best friend is a 'him'?

"Yes, _him_."

He almost scowled. "How long have you been friends?"

"_Best_ friends," Clary corrected before continuing. "And we've been _best_ friends since we were four."

A mixture of guilt and embarrassment swept over Jace's face before he collected himself and pushed off of the wall. He took a step toward Clary. "Mmm, I see." He took another step toward her and changed the subject yet again. "I was just wondering if, when we got to L.A., you would be interested in going to a fine restaurant there."

Clary looked up and saw Jace's glittering, amber eyes peering into her own eyes with an emotion that she couldn't quite understand. "I'd be interested in going to a restaurant with my_ best friend_, yes."

He shook his head gently, his golden hair moving slightly. "That's not what I was asking," he said, taking another step toward her and offering her his hand.

She looked at it for a moment, wondering what he was doing, before taking it. He gripped her hand gently and pulled her out of the chair so she was standing mere centimeters from him. Clary gasped at the suddenness and closeness of the situation. Jace smirked.

"Does this give a hint?" he asked. He took her other hand in his and laced their fingers together.

Clary swallowed hard.

Jace's smirk grew into a sly smile. He leaned in, so close that all Clary had to do was raise her head slightly and their lips would meet, and whispered, "Dinner with me?"

She raised her eyes, noticing that he was looking at her lips before he met her gaze. He smiled sweetly. She couldn't help but return it, nodding slightly. She was lost in the moment. She was so close to this beautiful man and she couldn't think of anything except that she did not want it to end. But, being as they were on a plane and he was the pilot, it had to.

Jace raised a questioning eyebrow. "So, yes?"

His breath smelled of mint. For a very brief moment, Clary wondered if his lips would taste the same, but she shook herself out of that thought very quickly. Forgetting what she told Simon, she nodded.

He smiled and took a small step back, releasing her left hand but keeping a gentle grip on her right. He brought her hand up slowly, leaning down, and pressed his lips to the back of her hand.

Letting go of her hand and taking a step toward the door, he said, "I'll see you after we land." He added a wink and disappeared, leaving Clary confused and oddly jittery.

Maybe this job wasn't going to be so bad.

* * *

**So there you have it: Ch. 2.**

**How was it?**

**Please review/follow/favorite! They mean so much!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! Thanks to all of you fabulous people who reviewed/followed/faved! They all make me smile:)**

**I already had this chapter written so I figured I might as well post it. I'm not sure how regularly or when I will post but i do know that there won't be huge gaps in between updates. I don't want to do that to people because i hate it when that happens to me. You get into a story and its amazing and then there isn't an update...for three months...**

**Anywho, this is chapter 3. Fluffy...there's fluff. Hope you like it!:) Let me know!**

**I don't own the characters... :(**

* * *

Thankfully they landed safely in L.A. without the pregnant woman having her child. Clary was happy for that. She didn't know exactly what she would do in that sort of situation.

"Well," Maia said, "We have a two hour break before we have to be leaving again, Clary. Have any plans?"

Clary blushed a little. "Sort of."

"What do you mean?" Maia asked.

"Well-"

"Clary!"

She turned to Simon hurrying toward her. She cursed under her breath. She'd totally forgotten about him and their plans to meet up after the flight.

"Hi, Simon," she muttered.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing. Listen, I'm sorry-"

Jace interrupted from behind her. "Hello, Clary."

She turned around to see him beaming at her. She cursed under her breath again. This was not a good situation.

"Hi, Jace. Can you excuse me for a second?" She grabbed Simon's arm and pulled him away from Jace and Maia, who both looked very confused.

"Simon, I'm so sorry. I just-"

He was confused as well. "What are you sorry for?"

She took a deep breath. "I can't hang out with you," she said quietly.

His expression turned sad. "Why not? I thought we were going to catch up..."

"I want to," she said earnestly. "but I can't..." She didn't think there was an easy or good way of telling her best friend that she was choosing a man that she met yesterday of him.

Simon frowned. "Why?" His eyes looked like big brown puppy eyes. Clary had to shut her own eyes so that she didn't feel even worse about the situation.

"I...I have to go to an extra training session," she lied, hoping it sounded truthful. She looked up at Simon, who was now more confused that sad.

He nodded slowly. "Okay, but why now? Can you not get out of it?"

Clary felt sick to her stomach. She absolutely hated lying to her best friend. She wasn't even quite sure why she was picking Jace over him. "No, I tried. I have to go." She put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Simon."

He looked so sad. "Okay," he said. "That just really sucks. I was really looking forward to spending time with you."

Clary hugged him. He didn't hug back, he just put his arms loosely around her. "I'm coming back to New York in three weeks," he said, pulling away from her. "We're getting together then. No excuses." He pointed his finger for emphasis, smiling a little.

Clary giggled. "Okay. I promise. We will hang out, Simon." He nodded. "I should probably go," she said, shifting nervously.

"Yeah," he replied. "Have fun with your training." He offered a smile that was obviously faked.

Clary pulled him into another hug and kissed his cheek. "We'll get together in New York, bestie." She smiled at him and he let her go. "I promise."

He smiled again and started walking away, waving. Once he was gone, Clary went back to Jace, who was waiting with his arms crossed and a smirk on his lips. She felt jumpy as soon as she locked eyes with him.

"Are you ready to go to dinner? Well," he corrected himself, "actually lunch."

She nodded, blushing.

"Good." He started walking through the airport, Clary following slightly behind. Then he stopped suddenly, turning around to look at her, a smile playing on his lips. "You can walk _with_ me, you know."

Clary, embarrassed, walked to stand beside him. He started for the exit. When they got outside, he hailed a cab. They sat in silence the whole ride, Jace stealing occasional glances a her, which made her blush every time.

Finally, Jace stopped the cab and paid the driver. When she stepped out, Clary found that they were on a busy street. She walked very close to Jace because he seemed to know where he was going. As they were walking, his hand brushed against Clary's. The first two times it happened she didn't think anything of it. She thought it was just because of how close they were walking so they didn't get separated but when it kept happening she knew what he was doing.

When his hand brushed hers again, she took it. He faltered a little at the sudden contact but then laced their fingers together, drawing a smile from both of them. He cleared his throat. "The restaurant I want to take you to if pretty close," he informed.

She nodded. After a few more blocks, Jace stopped in front of a very fancy looking restaurant. Clary had seen many like this in New York but had never been inside. She never had the money.

Jace opened the door for her with his free hand and led her inside. He whispered something to the hostess and she smiled, leading them through the restaurant and up an elevator to what looked like a back room. When she stepped in, Clary gasped. The sight was amazing. The small room had golden wallpaper with intricate swirl designs in between the many paintings hanging. A crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling casting colorful rays throughout the room. In the center there was a table set for two with a single lit candle between the settings.

The part of the room that really took her breath away was the huge, floor to ceiling window that was right across from her, overlooking the city. If it had been nighttime, it would have been even more beautiful. The hostess said something that Clary was oblivious to and then left.

Releasing Jace's hand, she walked to the window, mouth practically hanging open. She heard a chuckle behind her and then Jace was beside her.

"This is amazing," she told him.

"I thought you'd think that." He smiled sweetly. He offered her his hand, which she took happily, and led her to the table, pulling out the chair for her to sit. He took his seat across from her and looked at her expectantly.

"What?" she asked, patting her face thinking that there was something on it that he was looking at.

He laughed. "There's nothing on your face, Clary. Don't worry."

She blushed out of embarrassment and looked away.

Changing the subject, Jace said, "Get what ever you want on the menu. I'm paying." He winked and opened his menu. Clary looked down at her own menu in front of her. She actually wasn't hungry. Something about being around Jace did that to her. She didn't really feel anything outside of attraction to him when he was near her. It was a good and bad thing.

She settled on a chef salad. She didn't want something too filling and then maybe get sick later since she wasn't hungry. A waitress came in and took their orders and then left, leaving an awkward silence in her wake.

Jace cleared his throat and offered Clary a nervous smile, which she half returned. She looked past him at a that painting caught her eye. It was a park bench and lamppost on a wet sidewalk with vibrantly colored trees around it. A person with an umbrella was walking in the distance.

Clary thought it was beautiful. It almost reminded her of one of her mother's paintings.

Her awe must have shown in her face because Jace turned around and followed her gaze to the painting. "That's a good painting," he stated.

"Yeah," Clary said, still dazed and thinking of her mother. "It looks like one of my mother's."

"Your mother paints?"

They locked eyes. "She _used _to."

He raised an eyebrow. "_Used _to? Why doesn't she anymore?"

"She-" Clary cut herself off sharply. She didn't want to discuss her mother's bad medical condition with a man that she met yesterday.

Jace must have understood that because he didn't press the matter further. Clary decided to change the subject yet again. "So you said you've been flying since you were twelve? How?"

He opened the bottle of wine that the waitress had brought and poured them each a glass. "Well," he said after taking a sip. "My father was a pilot. He used to take me with him and he taught me how to fly and navigate. After he thought I was ready enough, he sent me up by myself."

"What? He just let you go by yourself the first time you flew?" Clary was shocked.

Jace nodded. "I knew what to do if I was going to crash and my father believed I had it in me to fly so he let me. I was prepared for whatever was thrown at me."

"What if something had happened?"

He smirked. "Something did happen."

Clary's mouth fell open a little.

Jace chuckled and continued. "When I was around 4,000 feet, the engine started malfunctioning. I was able to stabilize the aircraft enough to land it." He paused. "Personally, I think that my father had something to do with it. A test, if you will, to see if I could handle something by myself."

"Do you think your father would have done that?"

He nodded. "Definitely." He raised his glass to take another sip of wine but Clary put a hand on his arm.

"Should you be drinking? You're the pilot."

Jace shrugged indifferently. "One glass won't do anything." But he set it down anyways. He studied her for a moment. "Those uniforms don't look too comfortable."

Out of instinct, she looked down at herself. Her uniform consisted of a dark blue buttoned cardigan over a white button-down shirt tucked into a tight, dark blue pencil skirt that was a few inches above her knees. A red scarf and black heels 'completed the look' as Maia had told her jokingly. It wasn't that comfortable but she'd worn worse.

She shrugged.

"I mean," Jace said, leaning forward and placing his elbows on the table, "I have no problem with those tight skirts." He winked, causing Clary's cheeks to turn a deep shade of red.

They sat there a few moments before the waitress came in with their order. Clary thanked her and looked down at the salad that had been placed in front of her. It suddenly made her hungry so she grabbed a fork, not caring if it was the correct one or not, and dug in in a very unladylike fashion.

Jace chuckled but she didn't let it bother her. She wasn't like most girls who would be afraid to eat in front of a man they just met for fear of them calling her 'fat' or something of that nature.

Few words were exchanged as they ate their lunch. When the plates were cleared Jace looked at the clock across the room.

"We have to be back at the airport in a half hour," he said.

Clary sighed. "Do we have to?" she whined.

He smirked. "Sorry, _miss_."

She sighed and rolled her eyes at him.

"Hey! What was that for?" he asked, a fake hurt very evident in his voice. "Am I really that terrible?"

She nodded, biting her lip to keep herself from grinning.

He placed a hand over his chest. "I am so hurt by that." He sniffled and wiped away a 'tear'. "And here I was, taking you, a beautiful young woman, out to lunch and she thinks I'm terrible."

Clary froze at that. He just called her beautiful. They've known each other for two days and he called her beautiful. Who does that?

He must have caught what he said too because he busied himself with the bill and took a sip of wine. He cleared his throat and said in an even tone, "We should get going."

She nodded but all Clary could do is think dreamily to herself, _He called me beautiful._

* * *

**Awe, I love me some Clace:)**

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	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, amazing people! Thank you so very much for all of the reviews/follows/faves! I appreciate them all so much:)**

**I wanted to get this up sooner but i didn't have the chance. I'm taking honors classes and have to do summer work. being the procrastinator that I am, i put it off to the last minute. stuff is due this week and i have maybe half of it done :/ Oh, well. that's what i get.**

**anyways, I'm sorry that this is a little late.**

**Hope you enjoy it!:) **

**I don't own any characters...**

* * *

Maia caught Jace and Clary sneaking back into the airport together so Clary had to tell her everything that happened. While she spoke, the other girl just sat there, listening intently with a smile plastered to her face.

"Awe!" Maia fussed after Clary had finished. "You guys are too cute together!"

Clary rolled her eyes. "We're not together," she explained.

"Well, it sure looks like Jace is trying to make it that."

Avoiding the subject, Clary said, "Let's go help the passengers find their seats." She stood up and walked out.

Helping the passengers was tedious but it was her job so she had to look like she cared even the slightest about them. After they were cleared for takeoff, Clary and Maia went back to the flight attendant station to wait their turn on the runway.

Maia kept looking at Clary until she finally said, drawing the words out dramatically, "So, you and Jace...?"

Clary huffed. Really? That again, Maia? Couldn't resist, huh?

"Maia," she said, "How many times to I have to tell you? There is no 'me and Jace'. There's me-" she pointed to herself "-and then there's Jace.-" she pointed in the general direction of the cockpit. "There's nothing in between that. We're just two people who had a nice lunch together."

Maia put her hands up in surrender. "Sorry, Clary."

She sighed. "It's okay, Maia. I just don't know what to think about this whole thing with Jace. I mean, we met yesterday. We went out to lunch today. We don't have much of a history yet."

"Just let it play out."

Clary nodded. "Yeah."

They sat silently until they took off and were in the air. When they could start serving the passengers, Clary got to work. The people today weren't as rude as they usually were. There was even a group of teenage boys who flirted with her–which she playfully returned. She knew, however, that the one boy actually thought she was being serious. She laughed inwardly at him.

There was a businessman in the front seats making a scene. He yelled about how he needed to be in a conference right away and he wanted to speak to pilot about getting there faster.

"Hi, Clary," Jace said, smirking. "What can I do for you?"

"Well," she said, "There is this man who wants to talk with you because he has to be in a conference 'right away!'" She mocked the man's tone of voice.

Jace laughed. "Wow." He pulled off his headset. "He doesn't realize that I can't do much about that, huh?"

Clary shrugged. "I guess not. He's a real jerk."

"I'll set him in his place." Jace got up and went to the door.

"Wait!" She stopped him. "Please don't be rude. I have to deal with him the rest of the flight."

Alec snorted behind them. Clary rolled her eyes.

Jace laughed at her reaction and then said, "I'm not going to be rude." He raised a questioning eyebrow. "Why would I be rude?"

Clary blushed.

Jace chuckled and slipped through the door, Clary following a few moments later.

"Hello, fine sir," Jace said, extending his hand to the businessman. "I am the pilot. You wanted to speak to me?"

The man gave him a dark look. "Look here, boy," he growled. "I'm not in the mood for games. I know you're not the pilot." He got in Jace's face and poked him hard in the chest. "I need to be in a very important conference very soon and I need to be in New York _now._ So send me the _real_ pilot so I can yell at his ass for being so damn slow!"

Jace, having stayed calm throughout the man's rant, just took a step back from the man. "I'm sorry," he said, "if you do not believe that I am the pilot of this aircraft but I must inform you, that I most certainly am. And, again, I'm sorry but we will get to New York when we in fact get to New York." He crossed his arms and tried to hide a smirk. "It is not my problem that you chose this flight. Next time, I suggest that you book a flight that will get you to your destination in time so I don't have to waste my time with ridiculous, arrogant passengers like you."

The man's face showed shock before he tried–and failed–to hide it. He cleared his throat and spoke to Jace in a tone that was probably meant to be intimidating. "I'm going to report you, boy. You're impersonating the pilot and playing a prank for which I will not fall for." He straightened and stood tall in an attempt to threaten Jace but he was still eye-level with Jace's mouth.

Jace crinkled his nose and looked down at the man, who had again gotten close to him. He took a step back. "I'm sorry, sir. I did not mean to cause any inconvenience." He dramatically bowed. "It seems as though my prank has gotten out of hand. Wait here and I shall get the pilot for you."

Jace spun on his heel and went back into the cockpit.

Clary wondered what he was doing while everyone on the plane was staring at her and the businessman who had a triumphed look on his face. She wasn't quite sure what Jace was trying to pull. After a few minutes, the cockpit door opened again, revealing Jace with a flat cap perched on his head and the polo Alec had been wearing tucked into his jeans. He was also wearing a pair of large, thick-rimmed glasses.

Clary snorted and held back a laugh at the sight of him. He shot her a quick wink before walking up to the businessman who looked–to say the least–appalled.

"Do I look more like the pilot now?" Jace asked in a deep voice.

"I will not stand for this!" the man raged. "I'm going to go in there and talk to the pilot myself!" He jabbed a finger at Jace and then shoved past him, pushing through the door to the cockpit. He emerged a few moments later, face pink from embarrassment. He sheepishly walked back to his seat and slumped down, avoiding Jace's gaze.

"How was your talk with the pilot?" Jace asked sincerely.

The man gave him a death glare but didn't say anything.

Jace smiled and said, "I will get us to New York, sir, as fast as I can–which, coincidentally, is the exact amount of time as originally planned. Good day."

He disappeared back into the cockpit. The entire plane was silent. Awkwardly, Clary shuffled back to the flight attendant station and collapsed to the floor in a fit of laughter. A few minutes later, Jace walked in laughing too.

He whistled. "Wow, let me tell you, that guy was so ridiculous," he said in between laughs.

He offered his hand to Clary to help her off the floor. She hastily pulled down her skirt and fixed her top.

"I told you not to be rude!" She playfully shoved him.

"Hey, he needed to be set in his place. So what if I made a fool out of him?" He grinned.

Clary rolled her eyes. " 'So what' ? Jace, it's entirely unprofessional and completely uncalled for."

"Unprofessional?" He raised an eyebrow and pondered that for a moment. "That was unprofessional?" Clary nodded. "Well," he said, "then again, so is this."

She was about to ask him what he was talking about but never got the chance because he quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against him. She gasped sharply and looked up, expecting to see Jace smirking, but he wasn't. He was looking at her lips with his own slightly parted as if he were going to begin speaking. Then his sparkling amber eyes met her own, melting her insides. She stole a glance down at his soft lips before looking him in the eyes and then looking away.

"This is unprofessional, is it not?" Clary nodded, still looking down. "And I don't see anyone complaining." Now he smirked causing her to blush severely. He hooked a finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. He leaned down so they were eye level. His gaze flicked down to her lips before locking eyes with her. "Meet me after we land?"

She nodded slowly, entranced by his golden eyes. He smiled sweetly and took his arms from around her. When he got to the door, he turned around as if to say something but then turned back and went to the cockpit, leaving Clary with butterflies in her stomach and wondering what the _hell_ just happened.

* * *

Clary made sure that the arrogant businessman got off the plane first so she didn't have to be in his presence any longer than she had to. It was almost nine when everything was said and done and Maia and Clary could leave. Jace had slipped Clary a note after they landed that told her to meet him in the employee parking lot at nine. She convinced Maia to stay with her until Jace showed. As soon as she caught a glimpse of him however, she bolted, mumbling something about being tired.

"Hi, Clary," Jace said as he approached her.

"Hey," she muttered.

"Is something wrong?"

"Well," she explained, "It's just that Maia was my ride. So, yeah. I mean, I can take a cab or-"

"I can take you home, Clary. It's no trouble."

She shook her head. "No, it's fine, Jace."

"Please," he said, eyes glittering in the near-darkness. "It won't be any problem, I swear."

Clary shrugged and gave in. "Okay."

Jace offered his arm and she took it hesitantly. He led them to a sleek, black Mercedes-Benz. He told her the model but she wasn't listening. She was gaping at the amazing car before her. Her family wasn't that wealthy so they'd never owned a new car–or even one from this millennium. They'd always had beat-up, old clunkers that were completely unreliable. But to Clary, they had character. Of course, that character always showed in ways like breaking down 100-miles away from home and the heater not working when it was twenty below outside.

"This is a nice car," she said, mouth still hanging open slightly.

Jace laughed. "It is. Though, I had to save up money for six years."

"Six?"

He nodded. "I wanted a good car so I saved up and got this."

"Oh. I've never been able to save my money for myself." She regretted saying that as soon as the words came from her mouth. She didn't want to explain why she'd always given her mother all of the money she saved.

"Why?"

She didn't answer right away. "My mom, she, um, has health issues. So I always gave her my extra money," she said quietly.

Jace nodded but didn't push the subject. He opened the passenger door for her and then hopped in the driver side. He turned the key and pulled out of the parking lot. She told him where her studio apartment was as he pulled onto the road. They sat in a comfortable silence while he drove. Clary stole occasional glances at Jace, finding him looking at the road with one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on his thigh. Only when they were some where Clary didn't recognize she spoke up.

"Hey, you passed my place," she said.

Jace smiled but didn't take his eyes off the road. He turned on the turn signal and switched lanes.

"Hey!"

His smile broadened.

"Jace! You said you were taking me home!"

A laughed escaped him.

"Jace, this isn't funny. Please take me home."

"I will," he said, looking at her for a moment before returning his gaze to the traffic. "After I take you out for a drink."

"What?"

"I'm taking you out for a drink. I think the statement stands for itself, Clary. It's pretty cut and dry."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not talking about that. I mean, why are you taking me out?"

He shrugged. They stayed silent until he pulled up to a club.

"A club? Really?" Clary asked.

Jace switched the car off and grinned at her.

Once they got inside Clary felt uncomfortable. She'd been to clubs before but that was just when she went with Simon to do a little bit of 'exploring'–they went to a club, sat there awkwardly, and then left, going to Simon's to play video games instead.

Jace lead her to the bar, getting himself a shot of whiskey and her a Lemon Drop.

"What's a Lemon Drop?" she asked him.

He shot her a smirk. "You'll find out."

"You're not trying to get me drunk, are you?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not."

She shoved him playfully as the bartender set down their drinks. Jace pushed a martini glass at her filled with a bright yellow liquid and a lemon wedge. He picked up his shot and swirled it around a little before bringing it to his lips and throwing his head back. He set down his glass and wiped his mouth. Smiling, he looked over at Clary and ordered, "Drink," nodding to her martini.

She inspected the liquid. Jace laughed. "No one spiked it, Clary. Don't worry, it's just a little alcohol."

"A little?" she shot back. "I saw that guy fill three fourths of this glass with alcohol! That's more than a little."

He chuckled. "Well I may or may not have told him to go heavy on the vodka when you weren't listening." He bit his lip with an innocent smile.

Clary dramatically sighed. "You, Jace Wayland, _are _trying to get me drunk." She pointed an accusing finger at him and then drinking deeply from her glass.

"Whoa, whoa, Clary. Slow down," Jace said, taking the drink from her. "You can't down that like a shot."

She giggled.

"Well I know the alcohol doesn't work that fast," he said. "So why are you giggling?"

Clary shrugged. "I just want to be happy?"

He smiled.

They talked for a long time. Clary found out things about Jace like where he grew up, how his father taught him aviation, how he and Alec became best friends.

"Sometimes," Jace said, "I think that Alec is a little too moody. He freaks out too much."

"Makes sense."

He just nodded.

After they each had a few more drinks in them, they decided to call it quits. Neither of them were completely drunk, though Clary was closer to it than Jace.

"Are you okay to drive?" Clary asked, speech slightly slurred.

"I'm fine," Jace said. "I've driven home plastered and I was fine." He turned on the car. "Anyways, I live like two blocks from here."

"You're taking me to your place? You promised me a ride home!" she pouted, trying not to smile.

He turned to her and pushed some hair out of her face. He cupped her cheek gently. "I don't want you home by yourself. When you wake up you're going to need someone to hold your hair back."

She moved out of his reach. "That's why hair ties were invented, duh."

He laughed and put the car in drive. "I'm taking you to my place. Final."

Clary huffed but deep down, she loved the idea. She fell asleep as soon as they pulled into traffic.

* * *

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**if anyone was wondering, Jace's car is a Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series.**

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	5. Chapter 5

**Hey all! Thank you so much! You guys are so great with your reviews/follows/faves :) I love you all!**

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**I don't own any characters...**

* * *

As soon as Clary woke up she felt sick. Sitting up, she found herself in a large bed with very clean white sheets. She also found that if she didn't make it to the bathroom _right now, _those sheets wouldn't be clean anymore. Turning to her left, she saw a bathroom. Scrambling from the bed, holding her mouth and stomach, she made it to the toilet, retching. After a few moments, she felt his presence.

"I'm _never_ going drinking with you."

Jace chuckled. "I didn't think all that vodka was good for you, but you insisted."

She turned to him, hand still holding her hair back. She knew if she looked as bad as she felt, she looked like she'd been run over by a ship. "I feel like death."

He bit back a laugh and sat next to her on the floor.

"Where am I at?"

Jace looked at her confused for a moment, then, "My apartment."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I wanted to keep an eye on you. You didn't have to much to drink though. You don't have a high tolerance level do you?"

She shook her head. "I guess not," nodding toward the toilet.

He laughed. "It could be worse though. You're just sick to your stomach right?"

She nodded.

"Oh yeah," he said, remembering something. He picked up his right arm and held his wrist out to her. On it was her black hair-tie. "When I set you on the bed, you thrashed around and ripped your hair out of the ponytail. Then you yelled at me. Well—I couldn't exactly understand what you were saying but you calmed down after a bit so I pulled the covers over you and you fell asleep." He took the hair-tie off his wrist and offered it to her. "I figured you might want this back since you told me in the car that you didn't need me to hold your hair back."

Sheepishly, she took the hair-tie from him and put her hair in a loose ponytail. "I didn't hit you or anything, did I?"

Jace shook his head. "No. You just kept yelling, mumbling."

"_That's_ embarrassing."

He laughed. "It's not that bad. Want to know what happened to me the first time I went out with friends to a bar?"

She nodded.

"Well," he started, "I was completely shitfaced. So were all of my friends except for the one who recorded us. It was like three A.M. and we were in Central Park chasing each other with sticks that we broke off of trees. Then we decided to go skinny dipping." Clary laughed at the thought of a drunk Jace skinny dipping. "After that, we just didn't put our clothes back on. We ran around the rest of the night, streaking. When I woke up, I was on a high branch in a tree. Thankfully, my friend that wasn't drunk left me my clothes."

"Wow."

Jace smirked. "It was awkward though, I will admit, because there was a group of teenage girls there laughing at me. I didn't care that they were laughing, I just didn't want them to jump me."

Clary rolled her eyes. "Yes, Jace, because _that's _what they wanted to do."

"Everyone does."

"You are sure full of yourself."

He paused, considering. "I guess I am." He grinned.

Clary just shook her head. "Why did you get drunk anyways?"

He dodged the question. "Do you want some clothes?"

She looked down at her disheveled clothes. Her cardigan was unbuttoned and untucked. The first few buttons of her white shirt were also unbuttoned. Her pencil skirt was hiked up very far. Embarrassed, she started fixing herself, pulling down her skirt and wrapping her cardigan around her.

Jace laughed. "I'll get you some of my clothes. I think I might have something small enough." He stood up and walked out, leaving her on the bathroom floor. She decided to try to get up. She stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself. She gasped.

"I look like crap," she said to no one.

She washed her face and braided her hair back, so it was out of her face. Jace came back in with a pair of gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt.

"I know they're going to be baggy, sorry," Jace said.

Clary smiled. "It's okay. Thanks."

"I'm going to make some breakfast for you. You know, to help with your hangover." He smiled and then left.

Clary stepped out of her clothes and put on Jace's. The cotton was soft and it smelled like laundry detergent—which, Clary had found out, is what Jace smells like. He always smelled clean with a hint of something else that was uniquely Jace. She picked up her work clothes. And then something dawned on her.

_Work._

"Jace! Jace!" Clary ran out of the bathroom. She followed the smell of cooking food to find the kitchen. "Jace!"

He was standing in front of the stove and whipped around when she called for him. "What? What's wrong?"

"Work, Jace. We have to go to work!"

He stared at her for a moment before laughing. "Clary," he said. "Clary, we don't have work today."

Her mouth fell into an "O." "What...I...we..."

Jace laughed. "It's our day off remember? Alec gave you the schedule."

"Yeah..." she said, embarrassed. "I—I guess I just forgot."

He smiled sweetly and turned to the stove, talking over his shoulder, "I made eggs. Want some?"

"Yes." She pulled a chair away from the table and sat down. Jace gave her a plate piled with scrambled eggs and a piece of toast. He fixed himself a plate and then got them each a cup of coffee.

"It's not a gourmet breakfast but..."

Clary took a bit. "Mmm. It's good, Jace."

He smiled and dug in. They ate in a comfortable silence. When they were done, Jace cleared the dishes and then returned to his chair.

Clary spoke up. "So when do I get that ride home that I was promised?"

Jace looked hurt for a moment before his expression changed to amusement. "Whenever you'd like." He smirked.

"I'd like to get home. I want to see my mother."

"I'm sure she can wait." He was still smirking.

"Jace, it's nothing personal. I just—my mother isn't doing well. I'd like to see her."

His face fell a little. He nodded. "Okay. Yeah, I'll take you home. Are you still sick?"

Clary thought about that. "At the moment, no. But I may get sick later."

The corner of Jace's mouth twitched up. "I'll get you taken care of."

He gave her some painkillers, she gathered her stuff, and they headed to his car. Once they were driving, Clary decided to ask what had been perking her interest.

"Jace," she said.

He looked at her. "Hmm?"

"How come we have the day off? And why do we have such a steady schedule? Why don't we ever work at night?"

"You ask a lot of questions, Clary. All at once, too." He laughed. "We have the day off because that's how it happened to be when the schedule. We have a steady schedule because I'm pretty much the best pilot they have and I get to decide when I want to work. And we don't work at night because I usually don't feel like it."

Clary gaped at him. "So you just get to choose your schedule? Just like that?"

He nodded.

"That's insane!"

He laughed. "It's also because my father had an 'in' with the airline company."

"An 'in'?"

"Yeah, my father was a pilot and he was involved with the airline."

"You keep saying 'was.' Is he not a pilot any more?"

Jace's jaw tightened. "No."

Clary could tell by the tone of his voice that she needed to drop the subject, so she did. When they got to her building, Jace walked her to her door.

"Thank you, Jace."

He smiled. "You're welcome."

"I'll see you at work then?"

He nodded. "See ya, Clary."

"Bye, Jace." She unlocked the door and stepped inside, watching Jace walk down the hall before closing the door. She decided that she should see her mother. She wanted to check on her. She wanted to check on Luke. Neither of them were in a very good state right now.

* * *

When Clary got to the hospital, she found bother her mother and Luke—who didn't look that comfortable in the chair he was in—asleep. She crossed the room and pulled up another chair to her mother's side and took the other hand that wasn't holding Luke's. She started whispering to her mother, not wanting to wake her up. She talked about her new job. After a little, Jocelyn's eyes fluttered open and landed on her daughter. She smiled.

"Hi, dear," she said quietly.

"Hi, Mom."

"How are you?"

"I'm good, Mom. I'm good."

"Luke said you got a new job?"

Clary nodded. "Yeah. I'm a flight attendant."

"Do you like it?"

She shrugged. "I guess. The passengers can be crazy but it's worth it."

Her mother sighed. "Clary, you know you don't have to do this. You shouldn't _have_ to do this. We can pay for my bills, don't worry, Clary."

She squeezed her mother's hand. "I want to, Mom. It's okay. I'm fine with working and paying for things. Then I know that you're taken care of."

Jocelyn drew a deep breath. "This is what I'm talking about, Clary. _You _shouldn't have to take care of _me._ That's not how this parent thing works."

"Mom," Clary said. "You've done enough for me. Now it's my job to return the favor."

Her mother weakly smiled. "Thank you, Clary. And...I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Mom." Clary felt a hot tear trail down her cheek. He mother wiped it away and took her daughter into her arms. Clary began crying and her mother held her.

"Shh. Honey, it's okay."

They spent the rest of the day together, talking and laughing and just being next to each other. When Luke woke up, Clary forced him to go home and take a shower and get a decent meal. Clary decided that she would let Luke stay home that night and she would stay at the hospital with her mother. She just had to make sure that she left in time to make it to work. Before they fell asleep, Jocelyn spoke to Clary.

"Thank you, honey, for staying with me and for giving Luke a break. I'm sorry that you both feel like you have to do all of this stuff for me."

"Mom, we don't do this because we _have_ to, we do it because we love you. We love you, and were going to go through this as a family. I love you, Mom." Clary took her mother's hand and made herself somewhat comfortable on the chair.

"I love you too, Clary."

"Goodnight, Mom."

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6

**Hi there.**

**I know...there's no excuse. I'm sorry i haven't updated for awhile like i had been. Sorry. I had stuff...and I'll also play the lame excuse of band camp...tenor sax whoo!**

**Anyways...this chapter is overdue...I'm sorry. Please forgive me.**

**Thank you for all of the reviews/favorites/follows! You all are so fabulous! :)**

**Hope you like it!**

**I don't own any characters...**

* * *

"Clary, you're late," Alec scolded as soon as she got on the plane.

"I know, Alec. I'm sorry. I—I was with my mother." Clary fixed her hair as she walked into the flight attendant station to get ready. They were flying to Miami, Florida and then Seattle, Washington. They were staying there overnight and then going back to New York the next day.

"Clary! Clary, guess what!" Maia ran into the station, grabbing Clary by the shoulders with a silly smirk plastered to her face.

"What?"

"You know the flight engineer, Jordan?"

Clary nodded.

"He asked me on a date tonight!" She let go of Clary.

"Maia! That's great!"

"I know! I can't believe it! He said that he's been to Seattle loads of times and he is going to take me out to a nice restaurant."

Clary smiled. "I hope it's fabulous."

Maia nodded vigorously. Alec walked in, a scowl on his face.

"What's up, Alec? What's that face for?"

He glared at her. "Well, the airline screwed up." He huffed while Clary and Maia tried to think about what could have been messed up. "The hotel reservations in Seattle," he explained. "They screwed them up and only got one room for all of us. Two queen beds. There's five of us."

Maia sighed. "Leave it to them to mess it up."

"Has this happened before?" Clary asked.

"No," Alec said. "And it's ridiculous." He grit his teeth. "Plus, we can't get a hold of anyone that could fix the problem. Jace, Jordan, and I have been trying."

"Well," Maia said contemplatively. "I mean, we could all sleep in the same room...? It'd be uncomfortable, but it's only one night..."

Alec let out a long breath. "Yes. It would be _very _uncomfortable. And Jace already volunteered me to sleep on the floor."

Clary laughed to herself. "Is there anyway we could just rent another room?"

"Sure," a voice behind her said, "but it wouldn't be as much fun."

She turned around to see Jace leaning against the door with his arms crossed, smiling. Alec was glaring at him.

"Of course it would be fun for _you_," he spat.

"Hey, hey. Calm down, Alec. You know I just like messing with you."

Alec made a face at him and stalked out. Jace watched him leave.

"Wow, drama queen."

Clary let out a little laugh.

"Anyways," Jace said. "What I was thinking, we could get a cot or something and Alec could sleep on that. Then that would leave one bed to me and one for you two and Jordan." He grinned.

"You can't be serious, Jace," Maia said.

"Well of course not. Don't you know me, Maia?"

"I know you all to well, my friend." She flicked Jace. "You will sleep in the same bed as Jordan and then Clary and I will have the other."

"Awe, Maia," Jace said. "That's no fun."

"I don't care, Wayland."

Jace stuck his tongue out at her. She just made a face back at him and walked out. Jace turned to Clary.

"Do you feel better today?"

She nodded. "Much."

"Good." He smiled sweetly. He took a step towards her, closing some of the space between them. Changing the subject, he asked, "What would you think about me taking you out tonight?"

"I would think that if you did, it wouldn't be to a club. That didn't turn out that well the last time."

He laughed. "No. I would take you to dinner. Well, a very, very late dinner. We're not supposed to get to Seattle until at least 9:30 and that's without layovers."

"Hmm."

Jace looked at her to say something else. "Clary?"

"Is this a date?" she asked suddenly.

"Do you want it to be?"

She paused. "Do you?"

The corner of Jace's mouth turned up. "Very much so."

Clary blushed before, "Then it's a date."

Jace smiled. His eyes flicked to the clock behind Clary. "I should get to the cockpit." He bit his lip. "Come see me when were up, okay?"

She nodded. Jace turned and left. Clary followed and went to help the passengers.

* * *

"Do you have any medicine for a headache?" Maia asked Clary while rubbing her temples.

"No, not on me. There's definitely some in the first aid though. There's got to be." She left to get it and returned with two tablets for Maia, who accepted them gladly.

"Hopefully this helps. It was terrible when I had to serve the passengers. Every little noise hurt my head."

Clary gave her a rueful look.

"Don't give me that, Clary. I'm fine."

"Sorry..."

Maia laughed, wincing because of her headache. "I'm going to talk to Jordan. I have a question about our date tonight!"

Clary smiled. "Okay, see you." After Maia left Clary stood there for a little. When she realized that she was doing absolutely nothing productive, she decided to see Jace like she said she would. When she got to the cockpit, she could feel the tension between Alec and Jace. Alec obviously hadn't gotten over Jace's comments from earlier. She cleared her throat a little to get Jace's attention.

He turned around and his face lit up. "Clary." She smiled. "Can you give me five minutes? I'll go to the attendant station."

"Yeah," Clary said. She went back and, sure enough, Jace was there in five minutes on the dot.

"Hey there."

"Hi, Jace."

He walked up to her. "Any ridiculous passengers today?"

She shook her head. "Just the usual."

He smiled. "Bless your soul, Clary. I wouldn't be able to do your job."

"Well," she said. "I can't say I'd be the best at your job either."

Jace laughed. "Maybe I'll teach you a little some time."

"Okay." She nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that."

He looked at the clock before saying, "So how about the hotel predicament?"

"How about it?" Clary laughed. "I didn't think it would be that big of a deal. Alec is making it one though. If it's that big of a problem for him, I can sleep on the floor."

Jace shook his head. "No, no," he said. "Clary, it's just Alec being Alec. Of course, I'd offer to sleep on the floor but I need my beauty sleep." He flipped his hair very feminine-like.

Clary laughed. "Well I guess if I sleep on the floor then I won't get _my_ beauty sleep."

"Well, you don't need it." Jace looked down, almost as if unsure of himself. Then he met Clary's gaze and offered a small smile.

Meanwhile, Clary's mouth had fallen open slightly. She quickly collected herself. "Sure," she muttered.

Jace moved closer to her, not breaking eye contact. "I don't lie," he said quietly. That made Clary smile. It was a small smile though. She looked down. Jace closed the distance between them and placed one hand on her shoulder, the other pushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear before resting on her cheek. They were mere inches away from each other.

"How about we let Maia, Jordan, and Alec stay in the hotel room that the airline got and we get our own room?" Jace asked. A sudden look of embarrassment swept over his face. "With two beds of course," he said shyly. "Unless, of course," he added, "you don't want that." He winked playfully.

Clary took a breath, inhaling the oddly intoxicating aroma of Jace. "If we were to do that," she said, "I would most definitely want two beds." She shrugged his hand off shoulder and caught it with her own, giving it a small squeeze. "I don't know you too well yet," she said, leaning in and brushing her nose against his. She too could be alluring.

Jace closed his eyes and took a breath before taking a step back, removing his hand from her cheek but keeping a hold on her hand. "So," he said, "we'll get our own room after I take you on our . . . date . . . ?"

Clary nodded, adding a small smile. Jace smirked. He glanced at the clock, disappointment crossing his face. "I should get back," he said sadly. "I am, of course, flying this thing." He smiled weakly.

Nodding, she said, "Okay, I'll see you after we land in Miami." Jace gave her hand one more squeeze before he released it and slipped through the door.

* * *

". . .and we will be taking off shortly," Clary finished. She looked over at Maia who had a smile that belonged on a proud parent's face.

"Awe, Clary, you just spoke over the intercom for the first time!" She threw her arms around her. "This is so exciting!"

Clary awkwardly patted Maia's arm. "Yup," she said. " 'exciting!' " She faked enthusiasm in her voice.

Maia let go of her. "I guess we should check on the boys in the cockpit."

Clary nodded. "Want me to go? I mean, it doesn't matter to me-"

"I know," Maia cut in, "that you just want to see Jacey before we take off again." She raised an eyebrow knowingly.

"Jacey? That's what you came up with?" Clary laughed.

"Go on," Maia said laughing. "Check on them." She gave Clary a small, friendly shove toward the door. She added a wink before disappearing, leaving Clary to go to the cockpit.

"Are you excited for tonight?" Maia asked Clary after they were done serving the passengers and were standing in the flight attendant station.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on, Clary," she said. "It's not like it's a big secret that you and Jace are having a date tonight."

"What makes you say that it's a date?"

"Well for one, the both of you decided that it was a date."

"Maia!" Clary exclaimed. "You were spying?"

Maia looked away. "Sorry..."

Clary rolled her eyes. "It's fine. Really." She smiled. "Do you think he likes me?"

"Um, is your hair red? Are passengers annoying? Is Jordan hot as hell?" Maia let that sink in for a moment. "Yes, Clary! Why would he ask you on a date if he didn't like you?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'm just not used to this sort of thing. You know...men."

"Men? Oh, honey. What us women deal with are not men—they are boys. Childish, strange boys. Sometimes, you just get lucky and pick a good one. Jace," Maia said, pointing in the general direction of the cockpit, "Is a good one. _You_ are lucky."

"How do you know?"

"You're not the only one who has spoken to him, Clary. He's a good guy. He really is. You just have to get past the unattractive cockiness."

Clary laughed. "I have definitely seen some of his 'cockiness.'" She stopped herself. "That may have sounded bad." Both of them laughed.

"But really, Clary," Maia said after they were done with their laughing fit, "Jace seems good and pretty genuine. But if he messes with you, he'll have me to deal with."

Clary laughed again. "Alright Maia. You're starting to sound like my best friend, Simon. The only difference though—you could _actually_ beat someone up, unlike him."

Maia smiled. "Sounds like a good friend there."

"He is..." Guilt swept over Clary for a moment while she remembered when she'd ditched him to go with Jace. "Say, do we have any days off about three weeks from now?"

"I'm not sure," Maia said. "I don't know that our schedule goes out that far. I'll ask Alec though. Why do you want to know?"

"I just need to see a friend and they're only going to be in New York for a small amount of time in about three weeks. I wanted to catch up," Clary explained.

"Oh, okay."

* * *

When Clary and Maia had helped all of the passengers off of the plane in Seattle, they went back to the flight attendant station to gather their things.

"Hey, beautiful," an unfamiliar voice said. Clary peeked over her shoulder to see Jordan standing in the doorway looking at Maia.

"Hello, Jordan."

"Are you ready? I want to leave pretty soon for where I'm taking you."

Maia nodded. She looked at Clary. "I'll see you later?" She winked and left with Jordan.

Clary was still gathering things when she was terrified out of her wits by Jace walking soundlessly up to her and whispering in her ear.

"Geez, Jace! You nearly scared me to death." Her hand was over her beating chest.

A smirk spread across his face. "Sorry, I didn't think I'd scare you."

"I'm easily startled when people say stuff close to me like that. Most things don't scare me but that does."

"I see." Jace held out his hand to her. "Shall we go?"

He peeked at the clock. Clary followed his gaze. "It's after ten," she stated.

Jace laughed. "I got here as fast as I could."

"Oh no, no, no. I'm not complaining. I'm just saying . . ." She trailed off. Grabbing her bag, she took Jace's hand and started walking, dragging him a little bit. She couldn't help but smile at the fact that she was going on a date with this seemingly perfect man.

* * *

**So how was is?**

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**Thank you for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey there, guys! Thank you sooooo much for the follows/faves/reviews! It really means a lot, and i love to know what you think!**

**I'm going to try and start updating regularly but you know how life can get sometimes...I will try, though. Promise.**

**Anywho, this is Chapter Seven! BEWARE: CLACE! (It's what you've been waiting for *wink*wink*)**

**Enjoy! :)**

**I don't own any characters...**

* * *

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see." Jace turned his attention back to the road. They were driving through the dark, busy streets of Seattle in a rental car that had been provided by their employer. Clary mindlessly twirled a red curl around her finger while watching the cityscape go by just outside the passenger side window.

They slowed to a stop and Jace turned off the car. He looked at Clary before getting out and opening the door for her. Stepping out of the car, she found a quaint restaurant in front of them. Jace offered her his arm. She took it happily and he led them to the door.

Once inside and seated Jace asked, "So is here okay? Even though it's late?"

Clary smiled at him across from the white linen covered table they sat at. "It's more than okay, Jace. Stop worrying."

He sighed, visibly relieved. "I just want to make sure everything is to your liking."

"It's lovely."

Jace smiled. Reaching across the table, he took Clary's free hand in his. He returned his attention to the menu in front of him. Clary followed. After they ordered their food and it was delivered they ate, occasionally speaking or laughing. When they were done, Jace paid and led them outside.

"That was great, Jace," Clary said. "I really had a good time on our date. Thank you."

Jace smiled wickedly. "You _had_ a great time? Oh, princess, our date isn't over yet." Grinning, he took her hand and started in the opposite direction, pulling her along.

"Jace! Jace, where are we going?" He didn't turn around but continued down the street. Clary had to jog to keep up with his long strides. "Jace, it's practically midnight. Where could we possibly be going?"

Again, he didn't answer. They went two blocks before Jace turned and led them down a small road. Suddenly they were no longer walking on pavement but sand. Clary looked and through the darkness she could make out light reflecting off of the water.

Jace had taken them to the beach.

Clary stopped walking, getting pulled slightly by Jace before he walked back to her.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

A smile broke out on her face. "No." She shook her head. "This is perfect."

Jace smiled warmly. Then it turned mischievous. He took off toward the water, leaving Clary dazed for a moment before deciding to follow him. She kicked off her heels, picking them up with one hand, and ran after Jace. He glanced back at her as he ran, eyes glinting in the moonlight.

As she approached where Jace had stopped, she slowed her pace. Deciding to be sneaky, she walked as silently as she could to the left of him, ducking so he couldn't see her. When he turned around to see if she was following him, she tackled him from the side.

He let out a small cry of surprise as he fell ungracefully to the sand, Clary landing on top of him. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Realizing that she must have knocked the wind out of him, Clary made a move to get off of him but was stopped. Jace's hands slid up her arms, sending shivers through her body, and rested on her shoulders, holding her firmly in place. His eyes fluttered open, gleaming amber gazing up at her.

All previous thoughts were wiped from Clary's mind as she met Jace's eyes. She was hyper-aware of every place their bodies touched. Their faces were mere inches apart and Clary could feel Jace's warm breath on her cheeks. Somewhat embarrassed by the situation, she blushed, causing a corner of Jace's slightly parted lips to turn up into a small, sweet smile.

"Clary," he breathed in a sort of plea, though she didn't know for what. His gaze flicked to her lips and the slowly forming knot in Clary's stomach tightened. She allowed her head to drop a little, not quite brushing her lips to Jace's, who's eyes continued to flick between her own and her lips, lingering on the latter. Jace lifted his head slightly, eyes falling half closed. Clary followed, her own eyes sliding shut.

And then it was over.

Jace sighed audibly and let his head fall back to the sand, lips pursed. Clary was about to ask what was wrong when his hands left her shoulders and also fell to the sand. He avoided her eyes, looking out into the dark night. Behind them, Clary could hear the gentle sloshing of the waves.

"Clary, I—"

A fat raindrop fell onto Jace's cheek. Surprised, he glanced downward then up at Clary. "Rain," he stated blankly as another drop fell. Clary removed herself from him hurriedly and stood up. Jace continued to lay in the sand for a few more seconds, the rain becoming steady, before getting up as well. They stood there silently, Clary trying to catch Jace's gaze as he was carefully avoiding hers.

Suddenly the steady rain turned into a downpour. Jace's lips twisted into a smile. He grabbed Clary's hand and tugged her in the opposite direction. He seemed to know where he was going so Clary just let him lead her. The rain stopped pounding down on her and she realized that he had pulled them under the dock.

She looked up at Jace, who was crouching slightly because of his height. His golden hair was soaked and stuck to his face. His clothes were also drenched, white t-shirt showing off his toned muscles, jeans hanging low on his hips. He pushed a hand through his hair, getting it away from his face.

She too was soaked, her red hair plastered to her face and her uniform clinging uncomfortably to her body. Sand stuck to her bare feet. She looked up at Jace. His eyes were ablaze as he looked at her. He reached up and pushed the wet hair out of her face. He let his hand drop back to his side and he studied her for a moment. Clary was about to ask him if he was going to take them back to the hotel after the rain slowed but was stopped by Jace taking a step forward. He looked uncertain.

"Screw it," he muttered.

Puzzled, Clary began to open her mouth to ask what he meant but in one swift, fluid motion, Jace took her by her shoulders and pressed his lips to hers. Clary, surprised, gasped and dropped her shoes that she was holding but didn't pull away. Instead, she allowed her eyes to slid shut and twined her arms around his neck, bringing him closer. One of his hands slid up and cupped her cheek while the other moved down to the small of her back. Jace pushed her toward him so that their bodies were flush against each other.

Their lips molded perfectly together, bits of a puzzle finally being linked together. It was a gentle kiss. Not hungry or urgent. Just—perfect. Of course it was cliché to kiss in the rain, but right now that didn't matter. To them, there wasn't a care in the world. They were both lost in the moment that was them kissing. And they wanted it to last forever.

The rain poured even harder above them and water was streaming down from small cracks in the dock. A cool trail ran down Clary's arm as she twisted her fingers into Jace's hair at the nape of his neck. She felt Jace smile against her lips. She returned the smile.

Jace broke the kiss, but only just. Their lips were still brushing as they looked at each other through half-lidded eyes, breath coming out in welcomed, wispy puffs.

"It's raining harder now," Clary said against his lips.

Jace laughed lightly. "That's what you say after you get kissed breathless? You comment on the current weather conditions?"

She replied by kissing him lightly.

Jace's pupils were blown, only a small strip of gold rimming the darkness. "That's more like it," he said, smiling sweetly. His hand that was cupping her cheek trailed down her arm and wrapped around her waist, sending shivers down her spine. "Are you cold?" he asked, concern flashing in now dark eyes.

Clary shook her head. The rain had slowed while they were standing there.

Jace asked, "Let's go to a hotel, okay? I think I saw one on our way here." He lifted his head slightly, looking past Clary. "That is," he added, "if I can remember which way we came." He took Clary's hand and guiding her out from underneath the dock and into the steady rain.

* * *

"I'm sorry, sir," the woman behind the counter at the hotel said to Jace, "but the only room we have available is the suite on the top floor. It only has one bed. You see, a large group of students from a school are staying her on a trip and filled up all but around twenty hrooms. Because it's so late, we only have the one room, the suite, and we don't have any rooms with two beds."

Jace nodded. "Just a moment," he said. He took Clary's arm and dragged her until they were out of earshot of the woman at the desk. They were both still wet from having walked in the rain. Jace's damp hair fell into his face and he pushed it back impatiently. "Is it okay with you, Clary?" he asked. "If we get one bed, I mean. I can even sleep on the floor if you'd like—"

"Jace," Clary stopped him. "It's fine. I just want to get to sleep. You know it's close to one-thirty, don't you? I don't care where I sleep, I just want to. Especially because we have to be up early."

Jace looked at her for a moment before walking back over and paying for the suite.

"I'll call Alec and tell him to bring our bags over," Jace said after they were in the elevator. "He won't be happy about it but we need fresh clothes."

The elevator doors opened into a gold trimmed hallway with doors on both sides. Jace walked beside Clary, glancing at the numbers on the doors. He glimpsed down at her. Then she felt something against her hand: Jace's fingers. He took her hand in his and gripped it lightly, a smile spreading across both of their faces. They got to their room and Jace opened the door with the key card. Pushing open the door, Clary understood why it was called a suite.

What she stepped into looked like an apartment—a very, very fancy expensive looking apartment. They walked into what she assumed was the 'living room' because of the huge television mounted on one of the light blue painted walls. And elegant, comfy looking futon rested in the middle of the room on top of a plush rug. A sleek black coffee table sat in front of it with an arrangement of flowers placed in the center. One end of the room opened into a small kitchen, complete with an oven, microwave, and even a refrigerator. A coffee maker was on the counter next to the sink.

Jace led them to the bedroom. Clary walked right to the king size bed and collapsed onto it, letting the things she was carrying fall from her arms. She closed her eyes.

"I could fall asleep right now," she muttered. She felt the bed dip and slid her eyes open to see Jace sitting next to her, bending over to slip off his shoes. When he sat up, he shot a smile her way.

"I should call Alec," he said getting up. "You could take a hot shower if you wanted to."

"That would be nice," Clary said.

Jace smiled and left the room, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Clary didn't particularly want to move but the promise of hot running water suppressed that urge. She got up slowly and made her way to the en-suite bathroom.

* * *

"Clary," Jace called through the closed bathroom door. She only just heard him over the steaming water. "I have our bags."

Once Clary was done in the shower she dried herself off and, hair in a towel, put on a robe that was hanging on a hook in the bathroom. In her head, she thanked the hotel for providing it as she secured the tie around her waist. She stepped out of the bathroom to find Jace standing before the bed going through his bag.

"What are you looking for?" Clary asked.

Jace stopped what he was doing and his head snapped in her direction; he was obviously flustered. "I just realized—" His words cut off when he looked at Clary. His eyes ran down, then back up, her body. A tint of pink spread across his cheeks. He cleared his throat and fixed his gaze back on his bag. "I just realized," he continued, "that I didn't bring any bottoms to wear to sleep in but it's okay. I can just sleep in boxers."

Clary averted her eyes. "Um, okay," she said awkwardly.

Jace held out a small black duffle bag. "Here's your stuff."

She took it from him and went back to the bathroom to change into the shorts and long-sleeve shirt she brought with her. She took her hair out of the towel and blow-dried it just enough so it was almost dry. Then she returned to the bedroom to find Jace shirtless and lying on the bed, watching the television that was mounted on the wall. He flicked it off when he saw her.

"I'm going to take a quick shower, okay?" he said.

All Clary could do was nod. She couldn't stop staring at Jace without his shirt on.

Jace grabbed a few things and then hurried to the bathroom. Clary went to the bed and laid down on the right side. She could hear the water running in the shower as she pulled the covers over herself. Without meaning to, she felt herself drifting to sleep. However, she was brought back to the present when the bed dipped beside her, signaling that Jace was done in the shower and he had gotten into the bed. Clary looked over at Jace. His golden blonde hair fell messily into his face. He was wearing a light cotton shirt and, presumably, boxers. He looked at Clary and their eyes locked.

"Did you like our date tonight?" he asked. "Even though it took all night and we're going to sleep at—" he glanced at a clock on the nightstand "—one fifty-eight?"

Clary smiled. "Tonight was perfect, Jace. Thank you so much."

He smiled back. "Anytime." He reached behind him and turned off the lamp. He shifted until he was comfortable and sighed. "Goodnight, Clary."

They were close enough for it to feel natural but far enough apart where they weren't uncomfortable. "Goodnight, Jace." Clary felt something against her arm, and then she felt Jace's fingers lace themselves with hers. He gave her hand a light squeeze.

"Sweet dreams, princess."

* * *

**So how did you like it? Let me know!**

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**Thank you so much for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! A HUGE thanks to everyone who reviewed, added me or this story to their alerts/faves, and who read this story! I love you all and i'm so glad that you like this story! I really appreciate it!**

**Okay...don't hate me. I'm so sorry i haven't updated in close to...a month. I've honestly been so busy. I've never been this busy with school and everything. I've barely had enough time to do my homework and sleep, let alone write. It actually really sucks because i enjoy writing. Also, i'm in Journalism so all of my creative writing is kind of being drained from me so...yeah. i'm going to try and catch up on some writing on this weekend because i have loads of tests tomorrow and hopefully won't have homework...**

**wow, i rambled. sorry.**

**Anywho, this is Chapter Eight! I hope you enjoy it!**

**I don't own any characters...**

* * *

When Clary woke up by the alarm clock screaming at her, she was surprised to have a pair of arms loosely wrapped around her waist. She hit the clock to turn off the alarm and looked over at the golden boy beside her, who had barely stirred.

"You're like an angel," Clary whispered, lifting a hand to lightly trace Jace's strong jaw. His eyes fluttered but didn't open. She pushed a piece of hair away from his face and cupped his cheek. "Perfect," she muttered.

Clary wanted to draw Jace. Lately, she didn't have much time to draw but meeting Jace gave her a desire to be more religious with it. She let her inner artist take over for a few moments.

If she were to draw him, it would be in black and white with golden accents. His jaw strong and angled; his cheekbones high, making him even more handsome. Messy strands of honey colored hair falling perfectly around his angelic face. Long eyelashes circling glittering, amber eyes—that were looking at her.

Startled, Clary jumped a little.

Jace smiled. His eyes still showed fatigue. "Morning," he said. "How did you sleep?"

"Good. How about you?"

"The best I have for awhile." He took his arms from around her and stretched, yawning. He covered his face with his hands and sighed. "I do _not_ want to fly a plane today." His voice was slightly muffled from his hands. He lifted his hands and looked at Clary. "I'd be perfectly content staying just as I am, laying here next to you." Reaching up, Jace wrapped a red curl around his finger. He smiled at her.

Clary blushed. "We should get ready," she said, changing the subject. "It's almost six. We have to be at the airport in forty minutes."

Jace's face fell a little. "I don't want to go to work," he pouted.

Clary playfully punched his shoulder. "Oh, come on, mister big-shot pilot," she joked. "It's not like I want to do my job either. All you have to do is fly a plane." Even to Clary that statement sounded silly so she added, "I have to deal with rude, ridiculous people."

"_All you have to do is fly a plane_," Jace mocked in a girly voice. "I'll have you know," he said with conviction, "It actually takes some skill to be able to make a hunk of metal go through the air without it plummeting to the ground."

"I know," Clary said, smiling. "I was just messing around." Feeling brave, she ruffled his hair. It was so soft. Her hand lingered a moment too long and Jace caught Clary's gaze, who quickly retracted her fingers, looking away.

"You're right," he said abruptly. Clary glanced in his direction. "We should get ready." The bed shifted as Jace slid the covers off of himself and sat up, feet dangling off the side. He turned back to Clary as if to say something but thought better of it and got up, walking to the bathroom.

* * *

They walked into the airport hand-in-hand, a smile playing on both of their faces. Before Jace had to rush off to do pre-flight—important, he called it—stuff, he kissed her hand, bidding her goodbye. As soon as Clary spotted Maia she ran to her.

"Clary!" Maia said when she saw her. "Okay, what's the silly smile for?" she asked, grinning.

"It's nothing." Clary walked past her. Maia grabbed her arm.

"Whoa," she said. "You can't just walk in here holding hands with the sexy pilot after spending the night with him and not have a story to tell." She winked.

Clary sighed dramatically. "Well, if you must know."

"I must!"

Clary laughed at that. "Alright then," she said. "We went out to dinner and he took me to the beach. Then we went to a hotel nearby and crashed."

Maia looked at her for more. "And?"

"And I had a good time." Clary said, raising her eyebrows.

"And?"

"And Jace did too...?"

"And?"

"And the waitress was really nice," Clary said, realizing what Maia wanted her to say and purposefully avoiding it.

"Clary!"

"Maia!" she mimicked.

Maia groaned. "Just tell me if he kissed you!"

"Oh," Clary said, nonchalantly, "That. Yeah, of course he did." She waved it off jokingly, knowing Maia would hate that.

Maia's eyes grew wide. "He did?" she whispered. "He kissed you?"

Clary nodded, blushing.

Maia enveloped Clary in a hug. "You have to tell me everything!" she exclaimed.

"Alright," Clary said, detaching herself from Maia's death grip. "When we were at the beach, it started raining so Jace took us underneath the dock there. We stood there for a few moments and before I knew it, he was kissing me." Clary paused. "Now that I think about it, he just kissed me out of no where—don't get me wrong though, I'm not complaining."

Maia smiled. "How was the kiss?"

Clary gave her a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Maia said, "is he a good kisser? Was it a nice kiss? Or was he sloppy and gross? I've had a few kisses like that..."

Clary made a face. "He was a good kisser," she answered. "Gentle. Sweet." She caught herself smiling like an idiot but couldn't do anything about it. When she thought of Jace, she became jittery and she smiled. There was just something about him. "I think I really like Jace."

Maia smiled knowingly. "No kidding."

Clary stuck her tongue out. "Whatever." Changing the subject, "How did it go with Jordan and Alec at the hotel?"

Maia sighed. "It was—let's just say it was...an adventure."

Clary quirked an eyebrow.

"Alec wouldn't shut up. He complained the whole time about everything. He just moped around and was bashing Jace for taking you on a date."

"Alec didn't like the idea of Jace taking me out?"

Maia shook her head. "Don't tell him I said this, but he doesn't like you." She paused. "As a matter of fact, it's like he hates you."

"I'm confused," Clary said. She didn't know why Alec would hate her; she never did anything to him.

"Me too, Clary." Maia looked at her watch. "We should head to the plane."

Clary nodded in agreement and followed her, still wondering why Alec didn't like her.

* * *

"You know we have two days off after we get back to New York right, Clary?"

Clary looked up. "We do?"

Maia nodded. "I'm planning on spending time with Jordan." She broke out in a silly grin.

"You have fun with that, Maia." Clary offered her a smile. "We should probably check on the boys in the cockpit; see if they're ready."

"You're right. You want to check on them? You know, since the hottie is totally your boyfriend now."

Clary rolled her eyes. "Maia, you're being like a teenager, you know that right? I feel sorry for you."

Maia laughed. "Just go check on them," she said, ushering Clary out.

Clary made her way to the cockpit, pausing a moment before pushing the door open to smooth her clothes and straighten her hair. When opened, the door revealed Jace and Alec. Not only was the tension visible—Jace and Alec were both standing, obviously trying to intimidate the other, glaring—but Clary could feel the sparks of anger coming from both of them. Jace's eyes flicked to Clary. His hard gaze made her want run away and hide, but it softened, showing something similar to embarrassment, as if he was ashamed to have been caught in an argument with Alec.

"Clary," he said, his voice tight. "Now isn't a good time."

She opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by Alec.

"No, _Jace_," he sneered. "Now is a _perfect_ time." His eyes shot over to Clary. "After all, why can't she spend time with you now? She's all you been talking about. You've been wanting to spend every waking moment with her. Why should now be any different?"

Jace took a step away from Alec and towards Clary in what she assumed was a protective manner. His blazing eyes were on Alec. "Don't put this on her, _Alec_."

"Oh?" he said in an obviously faked surprise. "Why not?"

"You don't have to like her—"

"Damn straight I don't like her," Alec interrupted. "Hell, I hate her. You know what she's done to you? She's changed you Jace. And I'm not so sure it's for the better. I don't think this is a good thing for you."

Clary watched Jace's jaw clench, his hands balling into fists and then uncurling like he was debating whether or not to punch something—or someone.

"Why is this a bad thing, Alec?" Jace asked. "Is it really such a bad thing that I'm happy?" He paused. "That's what it is, isn't it? I'm happy and you don't like that; you're jealous."

"I am not," Alec said darkly.

"You are," Jace pressed. He stepped toward his friend. "You're jealous. All of this because you're envious and petty. I didn't even think you were that low."

"I am not _jealous_," Alec shot back venomously. "Don't you get it Jace? Don't you?"

Jace's stare narrowed. "Obviously not."

Alec let out a breath, placing his hands on his head, exasperated. "Of course," he said. "It's not like I would expect you to."

* * *

As soon as Jace could see Clary, he did. She was standing in the flight attendant station when he popped in the door.

"Clary, I—" he started. "I don't know what Alec was talking about." He took a few steps in her direction. His golden eyes were genuine. "You have changed me, but in a good way. A really good way. And I don't think it's a bad thing, being with you. Alec—he overreacts. A lot."

Clary stood there, shocked. He wanted to be with her? She'd changed him? "Being with me." More of a reiteration than a question, Jace responded anyway.

"If that's what you want." He closed the distance between them and took her hands in his, gleaming amber eyes hopeful.

Clary's breath caught. She bit her lip. "Of course."

Jace smiled. "Now," he said, "I am going to be extremely teenager for a moment, forgive me." He cleared his throat. "Will you, like, go out with me?" he asked, a joking tone slipping in through his horrible impression of a teenage girl.

Clary laughed. "Yes, Jace." She gave his hands a squeeze.

He let go of her hands and wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her to him. Clary wanted to melt into him. Indecisiveness flashed through Jace's eyes for just a moment before he dipped his head and pressed his lips to Clary's. Gentle and loving, he kissed her. It was short, but still long enough to make Clary's insides swirl and electricity to shoot through her. She wondered if Jace felt the same way. When she looked into his blazing eyes, she assumed that he did.

Then, Jace spoke. Out of everything she could have thought of for Jace to say to her, what he did was one that hadn't crossed her mind.

"God, Clary, you're so beautiful."

* * *

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	9. Chapter 9

**Hello, wonderful people! Thank you soooo much to everyone who read/faved/followed/reviewed! You all are fantastic!**

**Sorry it's been awhile. School's crazy...ugh**

**Anyways, this is chapter 9! hopefully you like it!**

**I do not own any characters...**

* * *

"Have a good weekend, Clary!" Maia called over her shoulder as she pulled Jordan toward her car in the employee parking lot.

"I'll try." Clary took a step toward her own car, fingers mindlessly fishing through her bag in search of the keys, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to meet playful golden eyes.

"Thought you could sneak away from me, Red?" Jace smiled.

"I was willing to try."

Jace took his hand from her shoulder and pulled her to him, arms encircling her. "You'll have to try harder next time," Jace whispered, leaning forward and brushing his nose against Clary's, allowing his eyes to close slightly.

Clary was overwhelmed with all of the emotions she always felt when she was around Jace. She loved the way he held her. It was like she was the only one in the world, the only one who her cared about. He held her protectively and comforting. When he kissed her, it wasn't like anything she'd ever experienced. It was like an explosion: fire meeting gunpowder. Clary's knee's grew weak and she felt like she didn't need anything else except for Jace; nothing else as long as that moment could continue forever.

Jace brushed his lips over Clary's. Not quite a kiss but a promise of one. "I want to take you to dinner tomorrow night," he whispered against her lips, his voice alarmingly husky.

Not trusting herself to speak, Clary nodded.

Jace smiled. "I'll pick you up at seven?"

She nodded again.

"Giving me the silent treatment, huh?" he joked.

She bit back a laugh and nodded yet again.

A glint of mischief passed through Jace's amber eyes. "I bet I can make you talk." He paused. "Hell, I could make you scream," he said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Clary's mouth fell open slightly in disgust. "You pig!" She hit his shoulder playfully and pushed him away a little.

Jace laughed, shaking his head and causing his hair to fall forward into his face. Instinctively, Clary reached up and pushed it back. Then she realized what she'd done and blushed furiously. Jace leaned forward and kissed Clary's cheek where she new there was raging pink. His lips moved to her ear.

"I love it when you blush," he told her, his voice a ragged whisper.

His action made Clary blush even deeper, but it also made her jittery. "I have to get going," Clary said, barely a whisper.

Jace's frowned slightly. "I have to as well." He looked away before meeting her gaze again. "So I'll pick you up at seven tomorrow?"

Clary nodded. "Seven," she agreed.

Jace took her hand and lifted it to his lips, pressing them to it.

"Why do you do that?"

He let go of her hand and raised a questioning eyebrow. "Do what?"

Clary shifted uncomfortably. "You know, kiss my hand."

"I was taught to respect ladies," Jace said. "Some say that chivalry is dead. Not me. Bravery, courtesy, honor, loyalty. Those principles are important to me."

"Ladies," Clary stated.

Jace nodded. "That's what you are, mademoiselle: a lady. And a fine lady, at that." He threw her a wicked smirk that made her insides do flips.

"You must have a twisted view of people if you think I'm a 'fine lady'," Clary said.

Jace took her by the shoulders and tilted her chin up until she met his eyes. His hand slid to her cheek held it. "Do I have to say it again?" Jace asked, holding her gaze. "I told you on the plane, Clary: you are the most beautiful person I've ever seen. Not just on the outside either. You have a pure soul and a kind heart. Your looks just add to it. So yeah, you _are _a fine lady."

Clary looked away.

Jace put a hand on either side of her face and stooped down so he was at eye level. "Why do you have so much trouble understanding that you're beautiful?" he asked gently, searching her eyes.

Her eyes darted, attempting to avoid his gaze but failing. She looked into the pools of gold and found sincerity. "I guess I don't believe it because I've never thought of myself as even pretty," she admitted quietly. Mumbling, hoping she wasn't heard, she added, "And you're the first person to call me beautiful."

Disbelief flashed through Jace's expression. "No one's ever called you beautiful?" he asked. "That's hard to believe."

Clary blushed deeply. "Sorry," she muttered.

"What are you sorry for?"

She sighed. "For being so self-conscious, I guess. It's probably annoying."

Jace shook his head. "It's not annoying. It's refreshing to know that you aren't a girl who is beautiful and knows it and makes it her mission to let _you_ know that _she_ knows that she's beautiful. Which, in the end, makes her not so beautiful."

Clary smiled a little. "You said 'know' a lot in that sentence," she pointed out.

Jace smirked. "I _know_," he said, putting extra emphasis on that word, causing Clary to laugh.

When her laughter died they stood there for a few moments in silence. Then Clary said, "Well, I have to get going. I really need to see my mother."

Jace nodded. "So, I'll pick you tomorrow up at seven."

"Yep," Clary said.

Jace made to turn but stopped himself. He glanced quickly at Clary before he took her by the shoulders and kissed her. It lasted mere seconds but she still got the same rush as she always did. Jace's hands slid down her arms, raising goosebumps, until he held her hands. He smiled sweetly.

"See you tomorrow, Clary," he said. He released her hands and turned, beginning to walk away. Clary watched him leave. She was about to head to her own car when he turned back to her, smirking.

"Oh, and Clary," he called, "wear something pretty." He winked.

Clary rolled her eyes. "Goodbye, Jace," she said, smiling.

He threw his head back slightly, laughing. "Bye, Clary." He turned, sticking his hands in his pockets, and left.

Clary started toward her own car, letting her smile fade. Good thing Jace had cheered her up—she was heading to the hospital.

* * *

"Forty-one missed calls?" Clary asked no one as she stared in shock at her cell phone.

The numbers on the screen she knew all too well: Luke's cell phone and the hospital where her mother was.

She threw her phone into her purse and turned on her car, pulling out immediately and heading to the hospital. She was afraid of what those forty-one calls meant. Obviously not something good.

Clary's clunker of a car lurched to a stop in the emergency parking lot at the hospital. As soon as the keys were out of the ignition, Clary was out of the car, sprinting to the swiveling glass doors. She rushed into the lobby and hit the button to call an elevator. Even though she could barely stand the waiting, she knew the elevator was way faster than the steps.

The shiny metal doors slid open and Clary was relieved that no one was in the elevator. She stepped inside and hit the button for the eighth floor where her mother was. As the elevator took her up, she tapped her foot impatiently, guilt and fear taking turns consuming her.

After what felt like an eternity, the doors opened and Clary lunged into the hallway, slipping slightly as her heels from her flight attendant uniform lost traction on the clean, white hospital floor. Before she could make it to her mother's room, she was stopped by a nurse and told that she needed to see someone in the waiting room.

As she approached, Clary could see Luke through the glass windows of the room. He was seated, hunched over with his head in his hands. Significantly more gray speckled through his hair from the last time she had seen him—three days ago. He looked up as she entered, and she could see that his eyes were puffy and his cheeks stained from tears. In one fluid motion, he stood up and enveloped her in a hug. He clung to her as if she were life itself. From that moment on, she knew it wasn't a good situation.

* * *

Jocelyn was in a coma.

And the doctors weren't sure she, given she had terminal cancer, was strong enough to wake up.

Luke hadn't sugar coated it when he told Clary. He'd just said it, point blank.

They were both crying, comforting each other as well as they could. "I'm so sorry I didn't answer my phone, Luke," Clary muttered into his shoulder.

Luke patted her back gently. "It's okay, Clary. You're here now."

Clary knew he wasn't angry with her. She couldn't answer her phone while she was working anyway. But she still felt guilty. She had spent extra time talking with Jace when she could have checked her phone and been to the hospital much sooner. She felt guilty. She felt like a terrible daughter. And most of all, she felt fear. Fear that she had spoken her last words to her mother. Fear that her mother wouldn't wake up from the coma.

They stayed at the hospital until late. Neither of them wanted to leave but the nurses convinced them, ensuring that they would call them as soon as anything changed. Clary drove them both back to her apartment and set up a bed for herself on the small couch, letting Luke sleep in her bed—she knew he deserved a good night's rest.

Luke fell asleep almost as soon as he laid down. Clary covered him with a blanket and turned out the light, walking to her makeshift bed. When she made herself comfortable, she picked up her cell phone.

_2 New Messages_

Clary tapped on the screen. The first message was from Simon, received at 3:46. It read:

_Hi, Clary! I hope you're doing well. I'm coming to New York next week. Make sure your schedule is clear so we can hang out :)_

Clary smiled wryly at that. "Irony at its finest," she muttered to herself, reading over Simon's words: "_I hope you're doing well._"

She checked the second message. Surprised, Clary saw the name Jace on the screen. She wondered how he'd put his number in her cell phone but was too startled after reading his message to give it any more thought.

_Is everything alright, Clary? On my way to my apartment I saw you rushing into the hospital. I just wanted to make sure you're not hurt..._

What did Clary say to that? Yes, _she's_ fine, but her mother certainly wasn't. Did she tell Jace? Did she want him to know?

Clary couldn't really understand why she didn't want to tell Jace about her mother. Maybe because she didn't want to burden him or anyone else with the same pain that she was feeling.

_I'm okay, Jace,_ Clary typed. _It's my mother._

A few minutes later she got a reply.

_I'm glad you're okay. But is your mother? Is there anything I can do?_

Clary couldn't really think of anything that Jace could do to help the situation. There wasn't much _anyone_ could do to help the situation.

_There isn't anything you can do, Jace. Thank you though._

_Okay. I just want to make sure you're alright. If you need a sexy pillow to cuddle with, I'm free tonight ;)_

Clary smiled and laughed out loud. _Hmmm...Tempting offer but I'm afraid I'll have to pass._

_And here I thought I was irresistible. I suppose I should get used to you turning me down._

_Don't worry. It won't happen too often ;)_

_Glad to hear :)_

_I'm going to sleep, Jace. I'm tired._

_Okay, princess. Good night. Sleep well._

And with Jace and other happy thoughts on her mind, Clary fell asleep. Worry, fear, and guilt not nagging her. She was peaceful, and it felt nice.

* * *

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